How to celebrate New Year's in VR

The end of 2016 is upon us, which means parties full of friends, watching the ball drop, and washing your hands of this year in preparation for 2017. If you don't yet have plans for the big night, then don't worry! There are a few awesome ways that you can experience the New Year's party in London, or New York City, all with the aid of your VR headset. Whether you're hoping to enjoy the feel of NYC from the relative comfort of your couch, or you couldn't get tickets to see the fireworks over London, we've got you totally covered.

Watch the fireworks with BBC

London is known for breaking in the new year in style, and ending 2016 is no exception to that rule. While the tickets to the live event sold out in the blink of an eye, you can still enjoy the fireworks in glorious VR. While there will be musical acts and entertainment being live streamed earlier in the night the coverage of the fireworks will kick off at 11:50 GMT.

The 360 degree videos will be viewable through all current headsets, you will need to know where to tune in. You can view them on Chrome or Safari, or by tuning into Youtube to catch everything. For anyone using phone based VR, you'll want to use the Youtube app in order to get the best experience. Considering that London's fireworks displays are always jaw dropping, this is a great way to break in the new year.

Hang out with AltSpace VR

Not everybody is close enough to home to spend the last day — or night — of 2016 with friends or family. If that's the case, then all is not lost. AltSpace VR is running a hangout for anybody who wants to celebrate the New Year in VR. You'll be able to virtually transport yourself to an awesome party, filled with other New Year's revelers, all without ever leaving the warm comfort of your living room.

One of the awesome parts about AltSpace VR, is that it's available on any current VR headset. It won't matter if you're hanging out in Gear VR, Google Daydream, or even HTC Vive, you'll be able to enjoy yourself. When you remember that videos can be played inside the room where you're hanging out, this means that you can still watch the ball drop in NYC, or check out the celebrations all over the world.

Celebrate the New Year

While there is plenty going on during New Year's Eve, there aren't too many options for celebrating in VR. Between the awesome fireworks displays available in 360 degrees, to a party with new friends on Alt VR, enjoying yourself in VR isn't that difficult to do. Was there an awesome in experience in VR for New Year's that we're missing? Be sure to drop us a line in the comments and let us know about it!